1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a knife, and more particularly, to a knife with an improved spring therein.
2. Description of Related Art
Pocket knives have been known for many years. One type of conventional pocket knife includes a handle, a blade, and a lock. The blade and lock are pivotally coupled to the handle. The blade moves between a closed position, where the blade is stored within the handle, and an open position, where the blade extends from the handle.
The handle includes two-side panels separated by a spacer, which forms an interior cavity between the panels for receiving the blade in the closed position. The handle components are usually held together with fasteners. The lock secures the blade in the open position so that the blade cannot accidentally move from the open position and close on a user""s hand.
In order to bias the lock into secure locking contact with the blade, these knives typically include a spring. Such knives are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,310 entitled xe2x80x9cFolding Knifexe2x80x9d to Sessions et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,340 entitled xe2x80x9cTwo-Piece Handle and Method of Assemblyxe2x80x9d to Hull. In the Sessions et al. patent, the knife includes a cylindrical spring having a free end resiliently opposing the distal end of a lock bar. The spring is used to keep the handle sections assembled together so that fasteners are not necessary to assemble the handle. The Hull knife similarly has a cylindrical spring that is used to bias a lock rocker and to tightly assemble the handle sections together.
Since these springs extend down the center of the interior cavity of the knife, the blade when closed must be below the spring. This configuration increases the height of the handle and influences the packing arrangement of the components therein. In order to generate sufficient spring force, these springs must have a large diameter, which can increase the dimensions of the handle. Thus, the shape and size of knife handles in the past could not be varied greatly due to the spring configuration, dimensions, and location.
A manufacturer of consumer goods is always keen for new design ideas that help to distinguish the manufacture""s product from those of others. One such idea, which has not heretofore been possible, is creating smaller, uniquely shaped knife handles. It is also desirable to form rugged springs with smooth operation.
The present invention was developed with the above-noted general objects in mind.
The invention is a knife comprising a handle, a blade pivotally coupled to the handle, a lock pivotally coupled to the handle, and a spring having at least one transversely extending portion that contacts the lock. In a preferred embodiment, the spring is U-shaped and supported by recesses in the handle.
According to one feature of the present invention, the handle further includes a first end and a second end, and the blade is coupled to the handle near the first end. In such a knife, the spring further includes supported ends near the first end of the handle. According to yet another feature of such a knife, the handle further defines a first height at the first end and a second height at the second end, the second height being less than the first height.
In one embodiment, the spring further includes a circular cross-sectional shape. According to another embodiment, the spring further includes a pair of spaced apart parallel support portions joined at one end by a contacting portion substantially perpendicular to the support portions, and the contacting portion contacts the lock. In this embodiment, the support portions may be coupled to the handle.
According to another feature of the present invention, the lock further includes a projection, and the blade further includes a locking recess. In this knife, when the blade is in a fully open position the projection is disposed within the locking recess.
Additionally, the invention is a knife comprising a handle with a first end and a second end, a blade pivotally coupled to the handle near the first end, a lock pivotally coupled to the handle, and a spring. The spring includes at least one longitudinally extending support portion and at least one transversely extending contacting portion. The support portion is coupled to the handle and the contacting portion contacts the lock.
According to one feature of the present invention, the spring is formed of a single piece of material.
Furthermore, the invention is a knife comprising a handle with a first end and a second end, a blade pivotally coupled to the handle near the first end, a lock pivotally coupled to the handle, and a spring. The handle further includes a recess near the first end and the spring is located in the recess coupling the spring to the handle. The spring extends rearward toward the second end.
In such a knife, the handle may further include a pair of recesses and a pair of support portions of the spring can be is located in the pair of recesses.